James Franklin has a man-crush on Mike Hull, and it’s not hard to understand why. During the press conference following Saturday’s win against Temple, Franklin’s praise for Hull neared gushing. “I love Mike Hull. I have a man-crush on Mike Hull, you’ve heard me say that before. I love the guy, his leadership. He’s one of the most high-production, low-maintenance guys all over the field that I’ve ever been around. He’s everything you want, he’s a blue-collar, hard-nosed, athletic, humble, ... Read More
Penn State becomes bowl eligible with win over Temple
Penn State (6-4, 2-4 Big Ten) used an action-packed second half to top Temple (5-5, 3-3 AAC) in its 31st consecutive win over the Owls. With this victory, the Nittany Lions are bowl eligible. Penn State kicker Sam Ficken tallied six points in the opening 30 minutes, one from the 29-yard line in the first and one from the 50-yard line in the second quarter. With those two kicks, Ficken tied for second place on Penn State’s all-time career field goal list. He is one of only three players to ... Read More
Penn State hosts Temple in must-win game
The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) will host their final non-conference game of the season against the Temple Owls (5-4, 3-3 AAC) this weekend at Beaver Stadium. Penn State is riding its 13-7 win at Indiana last weekend, having snapped a four-game losing streak while holding the Hoosiers to the fewest amount of points at home since 2006. Bill Belton’s record-making 92-yard run for a touchdown drove the win, and the Nittany Lions will look to ride his confidence in the effort this ... Read More
Bowl eligibility is within reach for Penn State
For the first time since 2012, Penn State has the chance to go to a bowl game. In September, the NCAA announced that, in light of Penn State’s tremendous efforts to correct their poor reporting measures and make sure that the appropriate resources were available to students, faculty, and fans, the university would be given the chance to play in a postseason game two years earlier than the sanctions originally dictated. Given that Penn State was on its way to a 4-0 start at the time, the ... Read More
Penn State travels to Indiana to try to snap losing streak
The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-3 Big Ten) will travel to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (3-5, 0-4 Big Ten) on Saturday for the second year in a row. Penn State is seeking redemption after narrowly losing 20-19 to Maryland last week and will look to kicker Sam Ficken and quarterback Christian Hackenberg to lead the offense. Ficken has connected on 17 of his 19 attempts this season, including three from behind the 45-yard line. Ficken is the first player from Penn State to ... Read More
Penn State strong despite struggles
Penn State is not used to losing. From volleyball to wrestling to soccer, most NCAA Division 1 athletics at Penn State are wildly successful, but none more than football. Two national championships and 44 postseason appearances for a school above the Mason-Dixon Line is nothing to bite your thumb at. As such, Penn State fans have come to expect winning seasons. Joe Paterno, as taboo as his name may be, created a culture of success, technically winning 409 games during his tenure as head ... Read More
Maryland reprimanded and fined after ‘Handshakegate’
The Big Ten publicly reprimanded and fined Maryland for its pregame actions against Penn State on Saturday. Conference officials announced on Monday that wide receiver Stefon Diggs was to be suspended for one game (November 15 against Michigan State) and university fined $10,000 after violating the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy following a scuffle on the sidelines and a refusal to shake the Penn State captains’ hands. Diggs was involved in the skirmish on the sidelines before the game ... Read More
Penn State looks to remain undefeated against Northwestern
The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are looking to continue their win streak on Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats (1-2, 0-0 Big Ten) at Beaver Stadium. Penn State dominated UMass last week, taking the game by a score of 48-7 while Northwestern is coming off its first win, powering past Western Illinois 24-7. Penn State will be looking toward two key sources of scoring on Saturday. Its deadly running trio of Bill Belton, Zach Zwinak, and Akeel Lynch posted 185 of 228 ... Read More
NCAA removes Penn State postseason ban, reinstates scholarships
The NCAA announced Monday that they have lifted Penn State's postseason ban effective immediately. The NCAA will also reinstate all 85 scholarships starting next season. Due to Penn State’s progress in ensuring athletics dept functions with integrity, NCAA immediately restores football postseason eligibility.— NCAA (@NCAA) September 8, 2014 The NCAA has also returned all 85 football scholarships to Penn State, beginning in 2015-16. Read more: http://t.co/wW5nQxl8nF— NCAA ... Read More
Reports: Bill O’Brien & Houston Texans Working On Deal
Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are reporting that Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans are working on the final details of a deal that would bring O’Brien down south to replace Gary Kubiak as head coach of the Texans. Bill O'Brien & Texans intensify talks they hope will make him next coach in Houston, per sources. ESPN link soon from myself & @AdamSchefter — Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) December 28, 2013 From @mortreport and me: Penn St's Bill O'Brien/Texans ... Read More